More Speed Matters. But Is Your Driver Built for Your Swing Speed?
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Golfers have been hearing about faster drivers for years. New materials. New face designs. New construction methods. Each generation promises more speed off the tee.
But recent robotic testing raises an interesting question: Where is that additional speed actually coming from?
Golf Digest recently analyzed five years of driver testing performed with the Golf Laboratories swing robot. The test compared 161 driver heads from 2022 through 2026, using the same 95 mph swing speed and measuring performance across nine different impact locations on the face.
One number stood out.
Average ball speed in 2022 was 135.9 mph.
In 2026, it was 136.0 mph.
In other words, despite five years of driver development, average ball speed across the drivers tested barely changed. What did change were other performance characteristics. Dispersion improved considerably, spin decreased and total distance increased modestly.
That doesn't mean speed isn't important.
Speed matters. A lot.
But it does raise another question golfers should be asking when choosing a driver:
Is the face of your driver actually engineered for the speed you swing it?
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A golfer swinging 75 mph and a golfer swinging 115 mph are putting very different amounts of energy into a driver face.
So why should they necessarily be using the same face construction?
That's one of the fundamental ideas behind Krank Golf's approach to driver design.
Instead of building one driver face and expecting golfers across a huge range of swing speeds to generate their best performance from it, Krank offers three different face thicknesses designed around three different swing-speed ranges.
The goal is simple: match the face to the golfer's ability to load it at impact.
Because generating more ball speed isn't only about swinging harder.
It's also about what happens when the clubface meets the ball.
Three Face Thicknesses. Three Swing-Speed Ranges.
Krank's driver lineup is divided into three primary performance categories: PRO TOUR, X TOUR and XX TOUR.
Each is designed around a different range of golfer speed and average driving distance.
Formula FIRE PRO TOUR
The Formula FIRE PRO TOUR is built for golfers with swing speeds of 100 mph and above, who produce average drives up to 250 yards and beyond.
This is the high-speed end of the Krank lineup.
It's also the driver used by Bryson DeChambeau, one of the fastest and longest players in professional golf.
A golfer generating that kind of clubhead speed doesn't need an extremely thin face to help create speed. The golfer is already delivering tremendous energy into the golf ball.
The driver has to be engineered to handle it.
Formula FIRE X TOUR
Move down in swing speed and the engineering requirement changes.
The Formula FIRE X TOUR is designed for golfers swinging 80–99 mph, whose average drives are between 200 and 249 yards.
Its thinner, higher-COR face is designed to help golfers in this range transfer more of the energy they generate into ball speed.
That distinction matters.
A golfer doesn't suddenly stop wanting distance because he or she doesn't swing over 100 mph.
If anything, additional ball speed can become even more valuable.
Formula FIRE XX TOUR
The Formula FIRE XX TOUR takes the concept another step.
It's designed for golfers with swing speeds of approximately 79 mph and below, who produce average drives of 199 yards and below.
The XX TOUR uses Krank's thinnest, highest-COR face of the three.
Instead of asking a slower-swinging golfer to generate the force required to activate a face designed for TOUR-level speeds, the face itself is engineered around the golfer's available swing speed.
That's the difference.
More Speed—Without Pretending Every Golfer Swings the Same
Golf equipment marketing often focuses on the club.
But the golfer is half of the equation.
Golf Digest's robotic testing illustrates just how sophisticated modern driver engineering has become. Across the drivers it analyzed, manufacturers have made substantial improvements in areas such as dispersion and spin even while average ball speed remained almost unchanged over the five-year period.
Those are meaningful advances.
But Krank approaches the speed question from another direction.
Instead of assuming the same face should work across an enormous range of swing speeds, Krank changes the face itself.
That means the question isn't simply:
"What's the fastest driver?"
A better question is:
"What's the fastest driver for the way I swing?"
And those are two very different questions.
Why Bryson's Driver Is Built for His Speed
Bryson DeChambeau is a perfect example.
His speed makes him one of the most powerful players in professional golf. His Krank Formula FIRE PRO TOUR driver is built for his swing speed.
But most golfers don't swing like Bryson.
And they shouldn't need to.
The lesson isn't that everyone should swing like a tour player. It's that the equipment should match the golfer rather than forcing the golfer to match the equipment.
That's why Krank doesn't simply offer different lofts, shafts or cosmetic versions of the same basic driver.
The difference goes deeper.
The face itself changes.
PRO TOUR for high-speed players.
X TOUR for moderate-speed players.
XX TOUR for slower-speed players.
Three face thicknesses built around three different levels of speed.
Find the Speed That's Already in Your Swing
You don't necessarily need to swing harder to start looking for more distance.
You need equipment designed to make better use of the speed you already have.
That's what makes matching a Krank driver to your swing speed different from simply buying the newest driver and hoping it's faster than the one already in your bag.
More speed matters.
But getting that speed starts with putting the right face behind the ball.
Whether you're generating TOUR-level speed, somewhere in the middle, or simply looking to get more from a slower swing, Krank Golf builds a driver face specifically for that range.
Find your swing-speed range. Choose the face engineered for it. And see what happens when your driver starts working with your swing instead of asking your swing to do all the work.
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Shop Formula FIRE TOUR Drivers built for your swing and put more distance to work.
Find Your Formula FIRE TOUR Driver
From the professional performance of the Formula FIRE PRO TOUR to the thinner-faced, higher-COR X TOUR and XX TOUR models engineered for moderate and slower swing speeds, Krank Golf builds drivers for golfers who want more from the tee box.
Know your average driving distance. Match your driver. Maximize your distance.
Explore the Krank Golf Formula FIRE TOUR driver lineup and find the driver engineered for your game.
Know Your average driving distance.
Match Your Face.
Maximize Your Distance.
Average drives
up to and above 250+ yards.
PRO GOLF CONFORMING
Average drives
between 200–249 yards.
HIGH COR
Average drives
under 199 yards.
SUPER-HIGH COR
Krank doesn’t build drivers for “most golfers.”
We build them for your swing speed.
Want to understand the engineering behind these drivers?
Read our deep dive: The Engineering Behind Krank’s Three Driver Face Thicknesses
Important: The X TOUR and XX TOUR models are engineered for specific swing speed ranges. Using these higher COR models outside their intended speed range may reduce long-term durability and is not recommended.
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Formula FIRE TOUR Drivers
Built for unmatched distance and control.
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Krank Golf is dedicated to engineering high-performance drivers and fairway woods that maximize distance and precision. Ready to take your game to the next level? Click here to use our DRIVER FITTING TOOL and design a custom-built Formula FIRE TOUR Driver perfectly matched to your swing.
